Ep 26: Roadblock to Shattered Glass

By now, Stock Aitken Waterman had made a name for themselves as hitmakers — and that was begining to rub some people the wrong way. In response to the haters and the perception that they could only do disposable pop, the trio concoted a plan to prove they could make any kind of music they put their minds to. And so "Roadblock" was created, a rare groove track that was originally released without any clue SAW were behind it. Hear the full story behind what would eventually become Stock Aitken Waterman's first single under their own names. Meanwhile, the Hit Factory encountered a bit of a dry spell, with singles by Precious Wilson ("Only The Strong Survive"), Dolly Dots ("What A Night") and Laura Branigan ("Shattered Glass") all flopping. We talk to Precious and Angela Groothuizen from the Dutch girl group about the paths that brought each act to SAW. Plus, Mike Stock and, in archival audio, Laura herself talk about the two tracks they worked on together. It's a super-sized episode with some great pop music stories.Support the showSubscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/sawInstagram: @chartbeatsauThreads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.socialFacebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through PopEmail: [email protected]